


Taking Care

by SnowingInTheBlueMoon



Series: Banana Fish Coffee Shop AU [2]
Category: Banana Fish (Anime & Manga)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops & Cafés, Established Relationship, Fluff, M/M, Self-Indulgent, Sickfic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-08
Updated: 2018-09-08
Packaged: 2019-07-08 09:45:47
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,821
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15927878
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SnowingInTheBlueMoon/pseuds/SnowingInTheBlueMoon
Summary: Chills ran down his body and his nose was getting annoyingly stuffy, but Eiji refused to admit he was getting sick - he had work to do and didn’t want to worry anyone because of a stupid cold.





	Taking Care

**Author's Note:**

> English is not my first language, so... you can expect some mistakes.

Eiji felt as if he was going to freeze from inside out. It was supposed to be warmer inside the Banana Fish Café, even more with all the heaters on, but he couldn’t feel any difference. He felt as cold as half an hour before when he got into the store, completely soaked after facing the heavy rain that was falling outside, on his way from college. Chills ran down his body and his nose was getting annoyingly stuffy, but he refused to admit he was getting sick - he had work to do and didn’t want to worry anyone because of a stupid cold. He could endure a few hours of work without any problem, even more knowing that, thanks to the storm out there, they would have only a few customers that night; not even their famous coffee and sweets would be able to draw people out of their cozy, dry houses. 

“ _Atchoo!_ ”, Eiji sneezed so hard that he almost dropped the tray he was holding with empty glasses and cups he had just cleaned from one of the tables. Luckily, Ash was around and he was fast enough to help him before a tragedy happened. 

“Bless you, little tornado!”, he smiled playfully, taking the tray out of the other boy’s hands and placing it on the pass. Eiji couldn’t help but feel a pinkish shadow coming up to his cheeks – no matter how many times the boy saw that smile, it always made his heart race. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah…”, the shorter boy sniffed, his voice coming out oddly nasally. “I think my nose doesn’t get along with this terrible weather.”

“Feel you, bro.”, Shorter said, suddenly appearing on the other side of the pass to collect the dirty dishes. “My nose always turn into a snot waterfall on days like that.”

“That wasn’t disgusting. _Not at all_.”, Ash laughed, trying to hit his friend with a towel of drying glasses as the other boy headed for the sink with the glasses and cups, barely missing it. When his eyes rested again on Eiji, the Japanese boy could see a flash of concern pass through them. “Are you _really_ okay?”, his tone was soft and fond, the tone he saved exclusively for his boyfriend and that always made Eiji’s heart melt like sugar cubes in a cup of coffee. He couldn’t help but smile.

“I’m fine.”, he assured him, his smile becoming even more tender with the attentive way his boyfriend looked after him. Ash was always careful and protective over him, so much that sometimes it was easy to forget who was the oldest one and who was the youngest one between them. “Don’t worry, Ash.”

“If you say…”, Ash shrugged, but Eiji could tell that the concern hadn’t completely abandoned his beautiful jade-colored eyes. The boy thought about reassure him once again that he was all right, but he completely lost the line of thought when his boyfriend put one of his hands on his waist and leaned in to kiss the top of his head. Ash probably shouldn’t have done it during work, even more there, where the customers could have a great view of the scene, but… the taller boy never cared about PDA, not when it comes to Eiji; he seemed, actually, incredible happy and proud of it, as if he wanted to make it clear to everyone how much he loved and appreciated his boyfriend. It never fails to make Eiji become a blushing mess. “Just tell me if you feel anything _not fine_.”, Eiji nodded, still felling the sweet burning on his cheeks, just before Ash walk away, back to his place next to the espresso machine. 

**

Eiji was right about the café receiving only a little amount of customers that day; the more the rain increase its rage, the less customers came in through the door. But, in other hand, those ones already in, seemed not to want to leave the place, not at all, ordering another coffee or one more slice of cake as an excuse to stay a little longer in the dry, warm store – Eiji couldn’t blame them for it. 

The lack of business should make things easier for Eiji, but his body didn’t seem to want to cooperate with him. As the minutes passed, the boy felt his body getting heavier and his breathing become more difficult, making him feel exhausted with the least effort. He was shaking from cold at the same time he could feel his skin burning from the fever, yet he was stubborn enough to continue working without letting anyone notice his miserable condition.

_It’s just a cold_ , he repeated to himself, over and over again, _there is no need to bother anyone because of something so small_. He had just a few hours left to the end of his shift, he could bear with it. 

Without having many customers to serve, his uncle Ibe, the owner and manager of the café, made him check the storage and make a list of what they would need to include in the next order to their supplier. It was supposed to be an easy task, but Eiji's blurred sight turned even doing a simple list of supplies into something hard to do. In a few minutes, the boy could include headache and dizziness on his own list – the list of annoying symptoms of his annoying cold. He was starting to think that maybe it would be better to ask his uncle to end his shift a little earlier that day.

A strong dizziness hit Eiji as he lifted his head a little too quickly from the paper block in his hands, to check one of the highest shelves, making everything in his vision spin around. His body was finally paying the price for his stubbornness; he could feel his body becoming lighter and numb, suddenly too weak to keep stand, while a shadow began to darken his peripheral vision, like a veil falling over his eyes. Eiji waited for the imminent impact against the floor, but that impact never came. When he realized, a very familiar warmth was involving his body, preventing him from falling.

He could recognize those protective arms wrapping his body anywhere; they were his favorite place in the world.

“I told you to tell me if you weren’t feeling well.”, Ash sighed close to his ear, clearly not surprised by his boyfriend's stubbornness. A moment later, and the cold hand of the blonde-haired boy touched his forehead, making Eiji tremble slightly with the pleasant sensation of the cool touch on his fiery skin. “You're burning with a fever!” 

_I’m fine_ was the words that came up to his tongue, but Eiji shallowed them back; it made no sense for him to try to fool himself or anyone else. He was feeling terrible and the only thing he wanted to do at that moment was to go up to his apartment and throw himself into his bed. 

Slowly, Eiji turned into Ash’s arms until he stood facing him, burying his face in the crook of this boyfriend’s neck. “Sorry. I really thought I could handle it.”

Ash let out a long sigh, squeezing the boy's body even tighter to his.

“You keep saying I shouldn’t carry things all by myself, but in the end it's you who always ends up trying to deal with everything alone.”, he laid a tender kiss on top of his boyfriend's head, making Eiji's not-so-stable legs tremble a little more.

“It’s just a cold…”, the older boy knew he was just being stubborn again, but he couldn’t help but saying those words.

Ash laughed against his hair. “Come here... I'll take you home.”, he pulled away from Eiji just enough to face him. “Can you walk or…”, a playful smile came over his lips, making his eyes shine with sheer amusement. “… or do you want me to carry you in the princess-style?”

Eiji winced at the thought. “ _No fucking way_.”

**

Ibe, of course, allowed both boys to end their shifts earlier that night - Eiji clearly couldn’t be left alone and Ash was the most trustful person to take a good care of him -, but he didn’t do it without giving his nephew a quick reprimand for hiding his unwellness first.

With a firm arm wrapped around his boyfriend's waist, Ash slowly guided Eiji upstairs where his small apartment was, next to Ibe's. Eiji's apartment wasn’t even half of the size of his uncle's, but the boy found it perfect; even though it was a one-room apartment, it was enough to accommodate all his books and photo albums with the pictures he took as hobby. And that was all that mattered to him. 

Ash made Eiji change his clothes and wear some comfortable pajamas before letting him, finally, throw himself into bed; the boy was so tired that if it hadn’t been for his boyfriend's insistence he would have slipped under the blankets in his work uniform. Eiji must have nodded off for a few minutes, because when he opened his eyes again, a cold towel was being carefully placed on his forehead, causing him a small shiver. The sensation was good, like cooling off after a walk under the summer sun.

“Take a rest, Eiji.”, Ash softly whispered, touching Eiji's face gently. “I'll prepare something for you to eat.”

“Thank you...”, a small, but full of gratefulness smile came to Eiji's lips as he took one of his hands out from the blankets and laid it on his boyfriend’s one. Ash's touch always brought with it a cozy sensation that spread all over Eiji’s body, making him feel better no matter what. Ash was his best medicine.

“That's what good boyfriends are for.”, the taller boy laughed softly, stroking the other boy’s cheek slowly with his thumb for a long second, before bending over to place a quick kiss on his boyfriend's lips. “I'll be back in a minute.”

Eiji was tired, but didn’t want to fall asleep. Nevertheless, as Ash headed to the kitchen, the boy closed his eyes, letting his whole body relax, wrapped in the warmth of the blankets and Ash's presence, a few steps away.

**

Eiji was awakened by a delicious scent coming from the kitchen. The boy didn’t know how long he had dozed off, but it seemed it had been long enough for Ash to cook him dinner. Taking the still fresh towel off his forehead - Ash must have damped it again while he was sleeping -, Eiji sat comfortably against the headboard of his bed, trying to peek at what his boyfriend was preparing on the other side of his apartment. Ash also had time to change his barista uniform into his casual clothes, the boy could notice.

“It smells good.”, he commented, catching the attention of the other boy. Ash turned just enough to offer him a smile.

“It’s almost done, sleepyhead. Get ready to try the best chicken soup you've ever had in your life!”, Eiji couldn’t help but smile in response.

A little over five minutes later, Ash walked back to his boyfriend's side, with a steamy plateful of the promised chicken soup. If the soup was as delicious as the smell… Just at that moment, Eiji realized how hungry he was; his belly roared audibly when Ash sat on his bed, in front of him.

“Here, open your mouth.”, the younger boy said, carefully holding a spoon full of soup. 

Eiji frowned. “I can eat by myself!”, he assured him, feeling his cheeks blushing - and that had nothing to do with his fever. “I'm not _that_ bad.”

“Are you sure? You look pretty shitty to me.”, Ash tried to look serious, even worried, as he said those words, but the corners of his mouth, struggling not to curl into a smile, showed how much he was having fun with it.

“Oh, how sweet…”, Eiji just rolled his eyes and Ash gave up trying to hide his smile. Pouting a little bit, the raven-haired boy took the plate of soup from his boyfriend's hands, shoving a spoonful of the liquid into his mouth, a little grudgingly. But his grimace fell apart the moment the soup touched his tongue. “It’s delicious!”, he exclaimed, a second before taking another spoonful.

Ash's playful smile turned into a legitimate smile of satisfaction and pride.

“I told you it would be the best chicken soup you have ever tried!”

Eiji finished the soup in a few minutes, just long enough for Ash to find a fever medicine and get a glass of water for his boyfriend. The sick boy took his medicine and relaxed back against the headboard of the bed, feeling way better. His fever was coming down and he felt no more dizziness or weakness; the headache still bothered him, but it was slowly fading away as well. 

With his stomach full and warm, a pleasant drowsiness began to make his eyelids weigh; when he realized, his body had already slipped under the blankets once again. A soft touch on his face was what prevented him from diving into unconsciousness, making him open his eyes only to find a beautiful pair of jade eyes hovering a few inches from his face. And they were getting closer. And even closer… and even…

“No!”, Eiji raised both hands to cover Ash's mouth before he approached his. “I don’t want you to get sick, too!”

The taller boy snorted into the palm of his boyfriend’s hand, using one of his hand to push away the other boy's ones - and taking advantage of it to intertwine their fingers together.

“I don’t get sick so easy.”, he assured him, drawing, almost without noticing, small circles over the back of his boyfriend's hand with his thumb. “And your kisses worth the risk, anyway.”, he shrugged, as if it were more than a good enough reason for him.

Eiji thought about trying to argue, but he gave up in a second - even more because, well, he also wanted to kiss Ash, _a lot_. Carefully, the boy put his free hand on Ash's cheek, stroking it tenderly as he brought his face closer to his. His body slightly shivered with pleasure as their lips touched, at first softly, only to dive deeper into the other’s mouth a few moments later.

“Love you.”, Eiji whispered fondly when their lips finally parted, he had no idea how long later. The corners of his mouth was shaped into a smile full of love and sweetness; the same cozy feelings he could see reflected in Ash's eyes.

“I love you too, my angel.”, the other boy leaned over to steal one more kiss from him, before burying his face in the crook of Eiji's neck, covering the smaller boy's body with his own.

“Are you going to sleep here tonight?”, Eiji asked, wrapping his arms around his boyfriend’s body. Ash always seemed especially calm into his arms, like a meek cat - and Eiji just loved it. “Don’t you have classes tomorrow?”

“Taking care of my sick boyfriend is more important than that.”, Ash kissed his boyfriend’s neck playfully, making a pleasant shiver run through the older boy's body. Normally, Eiji would tell to the other boy that he shouldn’t skip his classes because of him, but... not that night. Not when the only thing he wanted was to be able to sleep and wake up with the warmth of Ash's body wrapping his own.

“Thank you, Ash. For everything.”, the words came out of Eiji's mouth no louder than a whisper. He could feel Ash's lips smiling against the skin of his neck.

“I told you: that's what good boyfriends are for.”, Eiji felt the other boy's laughter vibrate through his body, making his chest softer and warmer.

“You’re the _best_ boyfriend.”, the raven-haired boy let his fingers run slowly through the golden strands of his boyfriend's hair - always so soft to the touch and smelling like sunflowers. “But don’t get too full of yourself because of that.”

“Too late.”, Ash's voice sounded so low that Eiji could barely hear him; the boy was crossing the line of unconsciousness, moving toward the happy dreams he was about to have that night - there was no way Ash could have bad dreams when he was in the arms of the boy he loved.

Eiji said nothing, afraid to disturb the quiet sleep that was approaching his boyfriend; he just kissed his forehead gently and closed his eyes to follow Ash to the dream world.

**

Two days later, it was Eiji's turn to take care of his sick boyfriend.

“I told you.”, Eiji sighed. He was sitting in a chair beside Ash's bed, watching the other boy eating.

“ _Shut up!_ ”, Ash grumbled, his mouth full of the rice porridge that Eiji had cooked for him as dinner - _okayu_ , or something like that. “It was worth it.”

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you had enjoyed it! I'm planning to write a multi-chapter fanfic in the same world as this one... let me know if you'd like to read it!
> 
> See ya! ~
> 
> Edit: I started to post the multi-chaptered fic, it's called Time to Heal. Check it out if you had enjoyed this one!


End file.
